OpenAI engineer charged after boardroom bug found wrapped in toilet paper

The Department of Justice has charged an OpenAI engineer with attempting to intercept oral communications after allegedly planting a recording device in an exec conference room. Investigators claim company security staff found a second device in his bag. Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, is described in court documents as an engineer at OpenAI who had worked there since July 2025, and has held permanent residency in the US since September 2020. He was arrested on October 9 and made his initial federal court appearance on October 13. He is accused of installing, on or around September 28, 2026, a Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense recording device via a USB port in a TV located in OpenAI's executive conference room. According to the complaint, staff discovered the device concealed in toilet paper on September 30. OpenAI said it used its models to analyze the device. …